Even though it was just a 1-0 win, Chelsea were dominant in every sense and gave a professional performance and won the game comprehensively. The Blues enjoyed 65% of possession on the ball and took 17 shots towards the goal. Chelsea faced difficulties in finding the back of the net through open play, but Hazard scored the solitary goal of the game in the dying minutes of the first half. The Belgian maestro played a quick one-two with Willian and was brought down inside the penalty box. He missed the penalty but headed the ball into the goal on the rebound. Hazard, Ivanovic, Matic, and Willian were amongst the standout performers, but overall, it was the outcome of the collective efforts of all Chelsea players.

Here are the ratings of Chelsea players based on their performances against Palace:

Thibaut Courtois – 6.5/10

It was practically a stand in the park for the Belgian shot-stopper as he had to make just one save while Chelsea defenders blocked the other shots. However, he caught and cleared each and every Palace corner.

Branislav Ivanovic – 7.5/10

Bane gave an impressive performance yet again as he contributed to both the attack and defense. He created 2 goal-scoring chances and made 8 vital clearances in the defensive third.

Gary Cahill – 7.6/10

Cahill was amazing throughout the game and was one of the main reasons why Chelsea didn’t concede any goal. He won almost all of his aerial duels and made numerous blocks.

John Terry – 7.2/10

Just like Cahill, Terry was instrumental too. The skipper organized Chelsea’s defense and made more than 7 clearances from the defensive third himself. His most impressive aspect yesterday was his passing as he misplaced just one pass out of the 37 he made.

Cesar Aziliicueta – 6.8/10

Azpilicueta was decent and had a few good moments in the game but could not keep Puncheon under his control which led to a few dangerous Palace attacks. The Spaniard was poor while crossing as well.

Nemanja Matic – 8.0/10 (Best Player)

Matic was like a monster in the midfield; he won almost all his physical battles and kept McArthur and Ledley in his pocket for the whole 90 minutes. The big Serbian played with purpose and determination, and his passing was accurate to the tee. He misplaced just 3 passes in the entire game.

Cesc Fabregas – 7.0/10

Fabregas was also impressive as he created 3 goal-scoring opportunities, and his contributions were noticeable in the defensive third as well. However, with an accuracy of 78%, his passing was not up to his usually high standards.

Juan Cuadrado – 6.0/10

Cuadrado played for just 45 minutes and was subbed off because of his ineffectiveness. He was very clumsy with the ball and was the reason behind Chelsea’s sloppiness in midfield during the first half.

Willian Borges Da Silva – 7.7/10

Willian played in two different positions in the whole game – RW and CAM. The Brazilian was very good in both positions. Overall he created 3 chances and contributed significantly in defense, as he is normally expected to do.

Eden Hazard – 7.0/10

Hazard might have scored the most important goal of the season, but he didn’t impress with his performance yesterday. He did not create a single chance and was invisible in defense. Overall, his performance was nowhere near that of the “player of the year”.

Didier Drogba – 6.7/10

Drogba was just an ambitious runner around the box, and could not do anything effective. He had just one shot on target and was outpaced and dispossessed by the Palace defenders on most occasions.

Substitutes

John Obi Mikel – 6.2/10

Mikel was introduced at the start of the second half to partner Matic in the central midfield. Defensively, he was poor but he continuously supplied passes to Fabregas, Willian, and Hazard. The Nigerian maintained a passing accuracy of 94%.

Kurt Zouma – NA (85’)

Filipe Luis – NA (91’)

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